Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 949

The feel of the shirt brushing against my wrist is sharp.

It’s a suit I wear every day, but it feels awkward today.

The Master tilted his head slightly. The feeling of the tie tightening around his neck also feels stuffy today.

Come to think of it, his attire in Korea was quite a bit more relaxed than this. The feel of a suit can change completely depending on whether the tie is perfectly tightened or the last button is fastened.

‘I enjoyed my freedom.’

A hollow laugh escaped him.

Having worn this suit every day, he hadn’t once thought it was stuffy. But just by unbuttoning the front of his shirt for a few days, the suit he’d worn his whole life felt constricting.

How fickle people are.

And how fickle the Master is.

The Master raised his hand and rubbed his face.

It wasn’t just that he hadn’t dressed properly for a few days that made him feel this stuffiness. What he felt wasn’t the comfort of the clothes, but the comfort he felt in the General Assembly and in Korea.

Though he didn’t want to admit it.

The Master quietly closed his eyes.

Turning a blind eye to reality just because something you don’t want to admit is happening is something only fools do. The best way is to acknowledge what’s happening to yourself right now.

I acknowledge it.

Because nothing will change by acknowledging it.

After taking a couple of deep breaths and opening his eyes again, he would return to being the Master of the Round Table. Perfectly.

Knock knock.

At that moment, he heard a knock at his door.

‘A bit early.’

He hadn’t completely finished his mind control yet. But now that an intruder had already interfered, it was impossible to regain his composure.

It couldn’t be helped. Things in the world don’t always go perfectly.

The Master sighed softly and opened his eyes.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and an attendant entered.

“Master, all the Knights have entered.”

“Hmm, I see.”

The Master nodded quietly.

It was rare for all the Knights to gather in one place like this.

The Knights had to lead their respective countries. Although their value lay in the maintenance and operation of the Round Table, dealing with the issues scattered across each country was no easy task.

‘I don’t know how the Round Table was maintained in the past.’

How was the Round Table maintained in that era without even telephones?

It was strange, but the Master knew the answer.

The Knights of the past wouldn’t have been burdened with excessive work like they were now. It wasn’t an era with an excessive amount of information like today.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Master. I will guide you.”

The attendant led the way.

As he walked out of the room and into the long, antique corridor, the Master slightly pushed up his mask.

‘It’s cumbersome.’

The mask felt awkward and cold through his gloves.

The Master chuckled.

A frog that has seen outside the well can never return to the well. Even if it means dying of thirst for jumping out of the well out of curiosity.

For the Master, the price of seeing outside the well would be this burning thirst.

At the end of the corridor, a large, pure white door could be seen.

The Master took a slight deep breath. No matter what was happening internally, he couldn’t show any signs of agitation to others.

He was the Master.

The center of the Round Table.

Having suppressed the agitation that showed in his eyes, the Master opened the door and headed into the Round Table. The Knights were sitting around a round table that looked as antique as if it had preserved its past appearance.

‘The appearance of the past…’

The Master covered his mouth as he entered. To hide the sneer that was forming on his lips without him realizing it.

Until recently, the Master would have accepted this appearance as a way of preserving tradition. But now, the appearance of the Round Table seemed nothing but old-fashioned.

The times change. The world changes.

So what’s the point of maintaining the appearance of the past?

Fake. Appropriately imitated imitations.

If it were something made in this era, it would be much more convenient, but it felt absurd to deliberately embody the inconvenient appearance of the past.

That Round Table too.

And even the Knights sitting around that Round Table… everything felt unnatural.

“Hoo.”

The Master took a low breath and sat at the head of the Round Table. The head seat was just a place that looked like the center because there was a sculpture behind it.

After he sat down, formal pleasantries were exchanged. It seemed that everyone else had already greeted each other, as he was a little late.

“Then, let’s begin the meeting. First, regarding the proposed agenda…”

The only thing the Master liked about the Round Table was that the work itself was practical. The Master nodded as he watched the agenda being processed without any unnecessary frills.

‘What’s important isn’t the formality.’ Even if it was self-contradictory, the world had become more peaceful thanks to the Round Table, and even at this moment, there were people who were gaining new lives thanks to the Round Table.

Wasn’t that enough?

“Then, let’s consider all the proposed agendas for today as decided.”

“Agreed.”

The Master nodded.

All the Knights’ gazes were focused on him. This didn’t mean they wanted him to close the meeting.

“I think it’s my turn to speak now.”

“Yes, Master.”

The gazes weren’t very friendly. The Master was well aware of that fact.

“First, I would like to apologize.”

The Master bowed his head slightly.

“Even though it was something I could do under my authority, going to Korea on my own was excessive.”

“Ahem.”

Low coughs came from here and there.

It was an issue that could neither be pointed out nor ignored.

Wherever the Master went, it was the Master’s right. His actions couldn’t be forced. However, going to Korea, which was considered the most sensitive place in the current Round Table, without seeking the consent of the other Knights was an act of ignoring them as a group.

“Master.”

At that moment, Knight Levo opened his mouth.

“Speak.”

“May I ask what happened during your trip to Korea?”

The words were polite.

But the meaning behind them was not polite at all. It was pressure that even the Master couldn’t be free from the duty to report to the Round Table.

And the Master naturally accepted that duty.

“I was going to talk about that now anyway. I went to Korea myself. And I met Wiggins and Kang Jin-ho.”

The reactions of those who flinched slightly at Wiggins became more intense the moment the name Kang Jin-ho was mentioned.

The Master’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

‘They’re sensitive to the name Kang Jin-ho.’ Well, why wouldn’t they be?

The Kang Jin-ho they thought of was nothing more or less than a monster who had suddenly appeared in East Asia and was shaking the world. They didn’t care what kind of ideology Kang Jin-ho had, or what his intentions were.

Even the Master hadn’t paid much attention to what kind of person he was before he saw him in person. He had only focused on the impact his existence brought.

It would be the same for them.

“Just a moment.”

Knight Levo organized his thoughts for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

“Did you just say you contacted Wiggins?”

The Master smiled bitterly.

It had been a long time since Wiggins had abandoned the Round Table, but Knight Levo still hadn’t given up his competitive spirit towards Wiggins.

“That’s right.”

“Master, Wiggins is a traitor.”

“Of course, I know. But even if he’s a traitor, we have to contact him if necessary. Isn’t that the practicality the Round Table pursues?”

“…I understand for now.”

Knight Levo stepped back, not hiding the dissatisfaction in his voice.

Watching him, the Master let out a low sigh.

‘The Master’s position should be fair to everyone.’

If Knight Levo, who didn’t hide his animosity towards a specific country and a specific person, became the Master, how much chaos would the Round Table fall into?

‘I want to prevent that from happening at all costs, but…’

If the system chooses him, there’s no way for the Master to stop it.

As Wiggins said, the Master was just one component of the Round Table.

“Anyway, I have something to say about that agenda. Please listen to my opinion.”

The Master quietly opened his mouth.

The atmosphere was subdued.

The Master finished explaining everything, from what he felt to the details of the negotiations with Kang Jin-ho, and how those negotiations would affect the Round Table.

Feeling a slight dryness in his throat, the Master drank the bottled water in front of him, crumpled the bottle, and looked ahead.

“What do you all think?”

“Master.”

Knight Levo was resting his chin on his hand. After seeming to ponder for a long time, Knight Levo opened his mouth.

“So, Master’s opinion is that we should provide full support to them on the condition that the General Assembly does not attack external countries, is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Why is that?”

“Why is that?”

The Master frowned slightly. He had explained so much, but why was he getting this kind of response?

“Support is something you do when there is a price. But Master’s opinion lacks that price.”

“The price is sufficient. We can gain peace in East Asia.”

“Master…”

Knight Levo said in a cold tone.

“So, does Master think that by supporting Korea, they will be able to maintain balance between China and Japan?”

“They can certainly do that.”

Knight Levo didn’t say anything more. He just turned his head and looked at the other Knights. The Knights also nodded and met his gaze.

“It might be a bit puzzling. But the General Assembly and the man named Kang Jin-ho that I saw are certainly…”

“Wait a moment.”

Knight Levo interrupted the Master.

“Before deciding on this agenda, I would like to start a vote on a more urgent and serious issue. Master, please accept it.”

The Master frowned.

Bringing up another agenda while discussing a certain agenda was a breach of etiquette.

“That can be done later…”

“No, it has to be done now. We must decide on this issue first before we can decide on the support for Korea that Master mentioned.”

“Hmm?”

The Master looked at Knight Levo with a puzzled expression.

A decision that had to be made first?

“What is the agenda you are proposing?”

“It’s simple.”

Swoosh.

Knight Levo stood up from his seat and drew the sword he had at his side.

It was a very threatening action, but no one stopped Knight Levo. Drawing a sword at the Round Table didn’t mean force.

For a knight, a sword was will. It meant putting all of one’s will and position on the line.

Knight Levo placed the drawn sword on the Round Table. Then, he looked around and opened his mouth.

“I would like to begin the vote on the impeachment of the Master.”

The air rapidly turned cold.